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Chapter one
Irelynn
Myhandstrembleuncontrollablyas I hold the needle in my hand, my fingers wrapped around it tightly, trying to keep it hidden, but also trying to keep from accidentally inserting the needle into my skin, unleashing whatever the hell is in the syringe into my veins.
As I glide down the hallway, my bare feet sink into the plush carpet. I’m focused on controlling my unsteady breathing.
You only get one shot to do this. Make it count.Yeah, no pressure, right?
My hand slides over the banister as I slowly descend the stairs, my nerves stretched taut, resembling a frayed rope ready to splinter in half. My eyes scan my surroundings rapidly, but I don’t hear or see any signs of William, the man who has been holding me hostage for weeks.
Squeezing the syringe tighter, my knuckles turn white as I grit my teeth, determination steeling my spine. I’ll do anything to get back to Max.
His face is all I can see as I reach the bottom of the stairs, my bare feet stepping onto the shiny, expensive floor. My eyes trail down my body to my unpolished toenails, confusion pulling my brows together. I’m not sure why I’m wearing this hideous white nightgown. It reminds me of what Tina wore in the movieA Nightmare on Elm Street. I’m well aware of how that ended—a bloodbath that permeated the victim and the room.
I’m hoping to avoid the same fate.
Swallowing hard, I force that thought from my mind.
Stay the course, my mind hisses as my body turns to the right, heading down an unfamiliar hallway, something sinister permeating the air. My heart beats like a drum inside my chest, making me light-headed. Pausing, my free hand lifts to my face, touching it gingerly as I close my eyes and focus on breathing normally.
My gaze snaps open, resolve stiffening my spine and drawing my shoulders back, my lips pressing in a tight line.Nothing is going to stop me. It’s already been set into motion.
As I continue onward, I notice a doorway just ahead, beckoning me. Coldness pervades the air, making me shiver as my eyes dart around William’s eerie, gothic-looking mansion. Despite being renovated, this house gives off a sinister air, as though once you step foot inside, you’ll never come out.
Shivering from my morbid thoughts, I grit my teeth, trying my best to push them away. My hand reaches out, latching onto the cold metal doorknob while adrenaline courses through my body. I have no idea what is on the other side of that door, but my gut is warning me that I’m about to pull back the curtain and find only menacing darkness.
Turning the handle slowly, I ease the door open, another long, narrow hallway ahead of me. My feet sink into the opulent crimson carpet as I soundlessly pull the door closed behind me. The ebony walls are uninviting, warning me to go back where I came from, but I don’t heed the warning. Dim lighting from the candles in the sconce holders cast my shadow along the walls. My heartbeat leaps into my throat whenever I catch a glimpse of my dark silhouette, terrified William will appear at any moment and grab me.
But that doesn’t happen.
I make it to the only door at the end of the gloomy hallway, my entire body tremoring from the terror running up and down my spine, infiltrating my essence. My loose white nightgown clings to my skin from the copious amounts of sweat dripping down my body. My heartbeat thrashes in my ears as I turn the handle, pushing the door open.
William stands inside the room, clad in black trousers and a black silk shirt, his light blond hair a contrast to all the darkness he clothes himself in. He whirls around, facing me, fury in his glacial blue eyes, his muscles coiled with tension. When he sees it’s me, his body visibly relaxes. His voice is artificially controlled, reverberating through the room with forced kindness, but his tight smile and clenched jaw tell a different story altogether.
“Irelynn, my dear, what are you doing down here?”
A slow smile spreads across my face. “I missed you and couldn’t find you. While searching for you, I happened to notice this door and thought I’d see if you were here.”
William stiffens as I step inside the room, moving closer to block my entrance. But I don’t give him the chance, slipping away from his outstretched hands as I peruse the room.
A massive desk holds various monitors and two laptops, and a luxurious executive style chair sits behind the L-shaped desk. There are various phones covering the surface, as well as multiple cell phones.Probably burner phones, I think as my eyes rake over them. Huge bookcases line the walls, leather-bound first editions of some classics, whose titles I recognize as my fingers trail along their spines.
This must be the kingdom from which he conducts his more nefarious drug dealings.
“Irelynn, sweetie, you shouldn’t be down here.” His smile is tight as he moves closer to me.
I slip the syringe higher into the sleeve of my nightgown, the needle poking out between my fingers. Tossing an innocent smile over my shoulder, I raise my brows. “Why not? You are here.” My voice is light and airy, camouflaging the mixture of terror and anxiety that courses through me.
His face is hard, the shadows obscuring part of it. The dim lighting within the room highlights it enough to showcase the alarming way his jaw grinds back and forth. His hands squeeze into tight fists as he studies me in disbelief.
I give him a placating smile. “I just wanted to be near you.”
His jaw pauses, momentarily shocked by my words. A dazed look crosses his blue irises, as though he’s been longing to hear those words for an eternity, and I just randomly threw them at him, catching him off guard.
Even so, William is not one who trusts easily. Suspicion hangs in the air as he shrewdly studies me, looking for the slightest sign that I’m deceiving him.
Turning to face him, the innocent look I’ve practiced in the bathroom mirror covers my face, my wide, doe-eyes blinking at him.
